# Glossary

> The words used across the Anytime Capital Payments docs and API, from approval limit and clearing account to idempotency key, meter and signing secret.

Source: https://anytime-capital.com/docs/glossary · Markdown: https://anytime-capital.com/docs/glossary.md · All docs: https://anytime-capital.com/docs/llms-full.txt

The words these docs use, and what they mean at Anytime Capital. Ids show their prefix, so you can tell what an id is by looking at it.

| Term | Meaning |
| --- | --- |
| **3D Secure** | An extra check by the customer's bank at card checkout. You can require it above an amount: see [Fraud rules & 3D Secure](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/risk-and-3ds.md). |
| **Activity log** | Your business's record of who did what. Every change an API key or AI agent makes is written there under the key's name. |
| **Aggregation** | How a [meter](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/meters.md) adds up a period's usage events: `sum`, `count`, `max` or `last`. |
| **Amounts** | Always integer cents in USD: `12500` is $125.00. Fields that hold money end in `Cents`. |
| **Anytime Capital** | A fintech company, not a bank. Banking services are provided by our licensed partners. |
| **API key** | A secret key starting `ak_live_`, sent as `Authorization: Bearer …`. Made in **Settings → Developers**; keep it on your server. See [Authentication](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/authentication.md). |
| **Approval limit** | A refund amount above which refunds by admins, API keys and AI agents wait for an owner's approval (**Settings → Team & approvals**). See [Refunds](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/refunds.md). |
| **Balance** | Your Anytime Capital Payments money: `availableCents` to pay out, `pendingCents` not settled yet and `reserveCents` held. See [Payouts & balance](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/payouts-api.md). |
| **Clearing account** | The account in QuickBooks Online or Xero that stands for your payments balance when you [sync your books](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/accounting-sync.md). |
| **Cursor** | The `nextCursor` of one page of a list, passed back as `cursor` for the next. See [Pagination](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/pagination.md). |
| **Customer** | Someone saved on your **Customers** page, one per email address. See [Customers](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/customers.md). |
| **Deposit** | Part of an [invoice](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/invoices.md) the customer may pay first, as an amount or a percentage. |
| **Discount code** | A code customers enter at checkout for a percentage or amount off. See [Discount codes](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/discount-codes.md). |
| **Dispute** | A customer's challenge of a payment through their bank (a chargeback, or an inquiry first). Respond from **Disputes** in the dashboard. See [Disputes](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/disputes.md). |
| **Event** | What we POST to your webhook endpoint when something happens, such as `payment.succeeded`: an `id`, a `type` and the API object in `data`. See [Webhooks](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/webhooks.md). |
| **Idempotency-Key** | A header you send on writes so a retry never acts twice: the same key within 24 hours gets the first response back. See [Idempotency](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/idempotency.md). |
| **Invoice** | A bill with line items, tax and a due date, emailed in your branding and paid at its `url`. See [Invoices](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/invoices.md). |
| **llms-full.txt** | Every docs page as one Markdown file, for AI assistants: [/docs/llms-full.txt](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/llms-full.txt). |
| **MCP server** | The Model Context Protocol endpoint at `/api/mcp` that lets AI assistants call the API as tools, with your API key. See [AI agents](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/build-with-ai.md). |
| **Metadata** | Your own key/value pairs on a payment link, copied onto each payment made on it, so you can match a payment to your order. |
| **Meter** | Something customers use that you bill by the unit, such as API calls. Usage events add up on it each period. See [Usage billing](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/usage-billing.md). |
| **Net** | What you keep from a payment after fees (`netCents`), or what reaches your bank from a payout. |
| **Payment** | One charge on a payment link, invoice or subscription, by card, wallet, bank account or stablecoin. Ids start `pay_`. See [Payments](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/payments.md). |
| **Payment link** | A hosted checkout page for one price, shared by its `url`. Ids start `pl_`. See [Payment links](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/payment-links.md). |
| **Payout** | Money sent from your balance to your bank. Ids start `wdrl_`. Made in the dashboard only. See [Payout options](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/payouts.md). |
| **Permission** | What a restricted key may do with one resource: none, read or write, such as `refunds:write`. See [Authentication](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/authentication.md#restricted-keys-and-permissions). |
| **Plan** | A recurring price customers subscribe to, billed weekly, monthly, quarterly or yearly. Ids start `sp_`. See [Subscriptions](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/subscriptions.md). |
| **Proration** | Refunding the unused part of a period when a subscriber switches plan now. See [Subscription discounts and plan changes](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/subscription-discounts.md). |
| **Rate limit** | 100 requests a minute per API key; over it, `429` with `Retry-After`. See [Rate limits](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/rate-limits.md). |
| **Refund** | Money returned on a payment, in full or in part. Ids start `re_`, or `re_appr_` for one waiting for approval. See [Refunds](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/refunds.md). |
| **Restricted key** | An API key with only the permissions it needs, per resource. The safest kind to give an AI agent: see [Safe AI agents](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/ai-agent-safety.md). |
| **Signing secret** | A webhook endpoint's `whsec_…` secret, used to verify the `Anytime-Signature` header on every event. See [Verify webhooks](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/webhook-signatures.md). |
| **Stablecoin** | A token worth one US dollar, here USDC or USDT. Customers can pay in them straight to your wallet: see [Stablecoin checkout](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/stablecoin-checkout.md). |
| **Subscription** | One customer's subscription to a plan. Ids start `sub_`. See [Subscriptions](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/subscriptions.md). |
| **Test mode** | A copy of your business where no real money moves: `ak_test_` keys, test cards, test webhooks (`livemode: false`) and simulated events. See [Test mode](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/test-mode.md). |
| **Trace code** | The number your bank can find a payout's deposit by (`traceCode`). |
| **Usage event** | One record of usage sent to a meter, with its own `idempotencyKey`. See [Meters & usage events](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/meters.md). |
| **Webhook endpoint** | An `https://` URL we send events to, with its own signing secret and event list. Ids start `we_`. See [Webhook endpoints](https://anytime-capital.com/docs/webhook-endpoints.md). |

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Anytime Capital is a fintech company, not a bank. Payment processing, banking and payout services are provided by Anytime Capital's licensed partners. Rates shown are for US card payments; international cards, currency conversion and disputes may carry additional fees shown in your dashboard before you accept a payment.